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July 12, 2026
 

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ANIME

"Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe" doubles down on the complex universe of the “Gundam” franchise.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 5, 2026
‘Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’ follow-up is a treat for fans who know their lore
Packed with politics, callbacks and deep-cut franchise history, the latest “Gundam” film trusts its audience to keep up.
The room that opens the exhibition, features a bank of computers and large curved monitors on which you can look up any scene from any of the "Ghost in the Shell" anime.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 4, 2026
‘Ghost and the Shell’ exhibition aims for maximum visual impact
A new, sprawling exhibition about the seminal cyberpunk franchise “Ghost in the Shell” celebrates 30 years of cultural influence.
Amtrak has manga-style posters on display in stations around the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2026
More foreign companies adopt anime and manga as PR tool
Amtrak now has an “anime conductor” featuring in manga-style safety posters that are displayed in railway stations around the U.S.
A young man living on the edge of society is taken in by his newfound aunt in the supernatural coming-of-age tale “The Keeper of the Camphor Tree.”
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2026
‘The Keeper of the Camphor Tree’: Healing takes root one wish at a time
In Tomohiko Ito’s visually dynamic coming-of-age tale, sometimes the greatest wish isn’t for success or escape but for somewhere to belong.
Japan’s Forex trading world, once symbolized by 'Mrs. Watanabe,' has moved on from investing housewives, with the young largely avoiding the markets.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 29, 2026
‘Mrs. Watanabe’, Japan’s FX investing housewife, gets an anime update
The stereotype has been out of date for years. In Japan, as elsewhere, housewives are a near-extinct breed with most households dual-income.
Japan is cracking down on online piracy and counterfeit products related to Japanese anime, games and other content, which caused over ¥10 trillion in damages.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2026
Japan content piracy and fake goods cause ¥10.4 trillion in damage
The government is aiming to crack down on illegal activities to reach its goal of increasing overseas sales of the Japanese content industry to ¥20 trillion by 2033.
Staff members of Stand-by Amusement Company stand by claw crane game machines during the Amusement Expo 2025 in Tokyo in November.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2026
Hooked on the claw: How crane games conquered Japan’s arcades
“Crane games are keeping the sector afloat,” said Morihiro Shigihara, an industry expert and former arcade manager.
The Golden Bear nomination for "A New Dawn" marks the first time in three years that a Japanese film has been selected to compete for the Berlin International Film Festival’s top prize.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 22, 2026
Japanese anime ‘A New Dawn’ nominated for Berlin film festival’s top honor
Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s debut feature is competing for the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear as Japan’s first contender for the top prize in three years.
Mappa’s employees work at the anime studio’s office in the city of Osaka in September. Some parts of the image are blurred for privacy reasons.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2026
Growing number of anime studios setting up bases outside Tokyo to secure talent
More companies are drawn to other cities by advantages such as easier access to local graduates and the potential to offer a better work-life balance.
Japan's content industry — which includes anime, manga and video games — is a major export the country. Such exports were valued at ¥6 trillion ($38 billion) in 2024.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 19, 2026
AI-driven pirated manga is booming. Can AI also help curb it?
While artificial intelligence is driving the spread of pirated manga online, Japanese government officials are hoping AI can also help rein it in.
"Mars Express" centers on a private detective and her partner, who are drawn into a conspiracy that has serious implications for modern society.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2026
‘Mars Express’ shows anime’s influence has no borders
Inspired by Japanese classics such as “Ghost in the Shell” and “Akira,” Jeremie Perin’s French animated film blends noir, humor and sci-fi into a thrilling cyberpunk ride.
In “Labyrinth,” a sensitive high school girl named Shiori (voiced by Suzuka of girl group Atarashii Gakko!) is transported to an alternate world where she meets her doppelganger, who uses Shiori’s identity to become Japan’s No. 1 streaming personality.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2026
‘Macross’ creator Shoji Kawamori breaks free with new film ‘Labyrinth’
After 40 years of anime franchises, Shoji Kawamori’s first fully original film takes on the smartphone age.
Yu Ishikawa, Mercari’s head of cross-border business development, says the platform has an unmatched lineup of unique Japanese items.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 2, 2026
Mercari goes global with anime and manga leading the way
It wants to be the go-to marketplace for international customers seeking high-quality Japanese entertainment products.
A cel animation from the first episode of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” is among the many original materials exhibited in “All of Evangelion,” a show to mark the 30th anniversary of the cult anime franchise created by Hideaki Anno.
CULTURE / Art / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 27, 2025
From trash to treasure: How anime became a museum staple
Anime- and manga-related art exhibitions are now one of the pillars propping up the industry.
In 2025, the 20 Questions column had 26 total interviews that offered insights into the professional, creative and personal backgrounds of people from various careers and walks of life.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 27, 2025
Finding a balance between tradition and innovation in 2025
With more than two dozen interviews throughout the year, our 20 Questions column highlighted diverse views on creativity, tradition and cultural hybridity.
While new installments in franchises like “Gundam” and “Detective Conan” and manga adaptations like “100 Meters” did well at the box office in 2025, risk-taking films like “Scarlet” struggled to find the same love.
CULTURE / Film / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 26, 2025
In 2025, anime tightened its grip abroad — and played it safe at home
As anime conquered overseas markets, the industry doubled down on known IP and left innovation on shakier ground.
While overseeing her family’s vast private library, a high school student (voiced by Rin Kataoka) is forced into action when a book thief unleashes a curse on her town in “Whoever Steals This Book.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 25, 2025
‘Whoever Steals This Book’: A genre-hopping odyssey through literature
Sometimes visually dazzling, sometimes dense with exposition, Kagokan’s first full-length feature shows what fewer cooks in the anime kitchen can achieve.
An aspiring manga artist (voiced by Rihito Itagaki) is drafted and sent away to an island where he endures the brutality of war in “Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
‘Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise’: Cute designs, harrowing truths about the horrors of war
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII’s end, “Peleliu” stands out among recent war films for using animation to portray the brutal realities faced by soldiers abroad.
Beijing has turned to entertainment as leverage in the escalating tensions between Japan and China, resulting in canceled concerts and postponed film releases.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2025
Culture caught in crossfire as Japan and China rift escalates
Beijing’s restrictions on Japanese entertainment have canceled concerts and postponed film releases, leaving artists and fans in limbo.
In 2025, “Demon Slayer” and “Kokuho” broke box-office records, while films such as “Renoir,” A Pale View of the Hills” and “Two Strangers, Two Seasons” garnered acclaim on the international film festival circuit. The year’s biggest loss was the death of Tatsuya Nakadai, an highly regarded actor who had worked with nearly all of the top directors of Japanese cinema’s postwar golden age.
CULTURE / Film / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 4, 2025
2025 was the year Japan’s box office returned
Anime ruled the screens once again, but a kabuki drama surprised us all.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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